Jews have always comprised a tiny fraction of the world population. Why are they worthy of study? One of the reasons is their critical and disproportionate impact on the non-Jewish world. Another is the fascinating internal diversity of the Jewish people, both ideologically and ethnically. This course will explore Jewish civilization through the often overlapping lenses of religion and ethnicity. Throughout the course, the Jews will also be considered as a culture and a civilization, with aspects of gender and childhood addressed throughout. We will also consider the impact of Jewish communities on the non-Jewish host societies in which they settled. Through primary and secondary source readings, lectures, films, film and audio clips, maps, overhead visuals, a slide show, and class discussions, this course will cover the medieval through modern eras of Jewish history (315 C.E. to the present), and both the western and eastern hemispheres. This course is Gen Ed G HS.

Course Requirements

Prerequisites

While there are no prerequisites for this course, "The Jewish People I" is recommended as preparatory background. For those seeking a basic understanding of the Jewish religion, recommended reading is Norman Solomon, Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2000).

Important notes: 1. This is not a course on the Jewish religion . This is a course on nearly 2,000 years of Jewish history . Some religious topics relevant to history will be covered on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 2. This is a university, not a seminary or restricted club--you need not be of Jewish ancestry or religion to take and/or succeed in this course. No ethnic or religious background is assumed.

Readings

Readings include the course textbook, Electronic Reserves texts, and documents and visuals posted to the electronic syllabus and class website.

Readings must be completed before the class session in which they are assigned.

Quizzes

Students will take six in-class quizzes on the readings, class website documents and visuals, outline maps on which students must identify regions or countries discussed in class, slide show, lectures, films, and film and audio clips covered since the previous quiz. Quizzes do NOT cover the readings due for the day on which the quiz is given. In the event of a canceled class, the quiz will be given during the following class meeting. The quizzes last 40 minutes and class resumes after each quiz.

Students are permitted to drop one quiz (the lowest grade). For example, if a student earns 0, 80, 62, 79, 95, 98 on the six quizzes, the 0 will be dropped. In addition, the last quiz (quiz #6, known as the "Bouncing Quiz") can double for a quiz that earned the lowest previous score. In this hypothetical situation, quiz #6, which scored 98, will transform the 62 into a 98. The final grade for the quizzes (not including engagement) will thus be a 90 (A-). If the quiz #6 scores lower than any of the previous quizzes, it is either dropped (if it is the very lowest score), or averaged in along with the remaining 4 quizzes (if it is the second to lowest score) and will NOT count double. For example, if the student earns a 0, 80, 62, 79, 95, and 51 on the quizzes, the 0 will be dropped. In this case, the 51 would not bounce. The remaining 5 scores will be averaged for a total of 73.4 (C-). (Quizzes represent 80% of the final grade.)

Engagement: "Ask the Professor;" Short, In-Class Essays; and Contributions to the Class

Periodically in class, students will be given the opportunity to submit to the professor questions and/or short off-the-cuff essays relevant to the class. Relevant questions and outstanding essays--particularly those chosen to be answered in class, read aloud, or posted anonymously to the course website--will count towards the class engagement portion of the grade (20% of the final grade). Within a week, students will know how many points they scored for each exercise, and whether or not they received full credit for each exercise. But the value of these points relative to the 20% of their grade will not be calculated until the very end of the semester. All of this information will be posted to the class website. Finally, contributions to the class are encouraged. If you read a relevant news item, have experienced something relevant, or would like to share your feedback about a certain lecture or reading, share it with the professor by email or in person. If I use it for this class or for my own research, you will receive engagement credit.

Succeeding in this Class

Think of this class as a job you love. Just as missing workdays and neglecting to complete office work efficiently will harm your chances of promotion, so too will missing classes and not keeping up with the reading adversely affect your grade for this class. Likewise, regular attendance and high quality performance on quizzes should help bring you the results you seek. While I do my best to assist students in their academic performance, I cannot make predictions or promises about performance or final grades. Students must take responsibility for their own learning.

Lectures are as important as readings. Lectures either reinforce the readings or add new material for which students are responsible.

If you have questions about your quiz or final grade in this class, you should first approach the T.A. in order to verify that your grades were correctly recorded. If a mistake occurred, the T.A. will contact the Professor immediately. NEVER THROW AWAY YOUR CORRECTED QUIZZES. You may need them in case of a grading error.

Missed Classes and Quizzes

You should attend class because you WANT to attend class. Attendance will not be taken. Come to class because you WANT to be there!

Students who must miss class for whatever reason (lab exams, illness, personal emergency, or University-sanctioned activities, such as athletics and field trips) should get the notes from a reliable classmate. For this purpose, make sure to exchange your phone number/email address with at least two fellow classmates. THIS IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY. In the case that a student cannot avoid missing a class, that student is still responsible for the material covered and for changes in the class schedule announced during that class and/or on the class website.

Important note: there are no make-up quizzes, nor can a quiz be given early or late because of a special circumstance. Students may drop one quiz (the lowest grade) and the last quiz can replace the lowest scoring quiz (see above, "Quizzes"). If you think you may miss more than one quiz, you should seriously consider dropping the course. There are absolutely no make-up quizzes, even with an excused absence. (See "Personal Problems" below.)

Personal Problems that Interfere with Academic Work

If students encounter a life crisis that interferes with their academic work they should inform their student Dean, who will then confidentially contact the Professor.

Official Warning

Academic dishonesty (also known as "plagiarism" or "cheating") is absolutely forbidden in any form. This includes glancing at someone else's paper during a quiz; bringing prepared answers and submitting them on one's quiz; taking a quiz, or completing an engagement exercise for someone else; signing in for someone else during an engagement exercise, and communicating in any form during a quiz--including with a cell phone or pager--even after a quiz has been submitted. DO NOT REACH INTO YOUR BAG WHILE YOU STILL HAVE YOUR QUIZ. TURN OFF CELL PHONES BEFORE YOU ENTER THE CLASSROOM. If you need to retrieve a pen/pencil during a quiz, raise your hand for permission. Cell phones or beepers that go off during a quiz will be immediately confiscated. Any student who commits academic dishonesty will receive an automatic "F" for the course. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy. For details on Academic Dishonesty, refer to the 2009-2010 "Code of Student Conduct" handbook.

Course Outlines and Other Class-Related Material

Course outlines will generally be posted to the class website the evening before each lecture. Occasionally, due to unforeseeable circumstances, a course outline may be posted the day of the class. Students are encouraged to print these out before class--this will make it unnecessary to copy the outline down by hand during the lecture.

In addition, documents or visuals will also be posted to this website and announced in class. See the website for other pertinent information, such the syllabus, a course description, details on quiz format, study tips, and contact information and biographies of the Professor and T.A. VISIT THE MAIN PAGE OF THE COURSE WEBSITE REGULARLY FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THE SYLLABUS AND CLASS! IF THE CLASS WILL START LATE OR WILL BE CANCELED DUE TO ILLNESS OR INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS WILL BE POSTED TO THE MAIN PAGE (ANNOUNCEMENTS) OF THE WEBPAGE.

"DS can assist you in obtaining accommodations for your disability. It is your responsibility to provide adequate documentation of your disability to DS and to schedule a meeting to obtain your accommodation forms. After meeting with the DS office, you will be responsible for bringing your accommodation forms to your professor to inform them of your needs. You must submit your accommodation forms to the professor during the add/drop period, or immediately following any new diagnosis. The professor will not provide accommodations for any student who is not registered with Disability Services.

Additionally, students with disabilities must submit a form to the professor at least a week before each quiz if they will require an extended-time quiz."

"Unfortunately our office is not equipped to evaluate and diagnose learning disabilities. We simply assign accommodations that the student is eligible for based on their diagnosis. Neuropsychological testing must be done through a psychologist or physician. Students may get tested for learning disabilities through the Counseling and Assessment Office or the Psychological Services Center on campus, however there is a waiting list and the testing process takes a long time and is very costly."

Getting Into This Class

This class fills up quickly and always reaches capacity. There is no waiting list for this class. However, students who are not registered for the class and would like to be, are encouraged to attempt to sign up for this class several times a day via SPIRE--there is much turnover during the Add/Drop period. If you still fail to register, I do teach this class every semester.

Required Texts

1. The following is available for $15.95 at Food for Thought Bookstore:

Raymond Scheindlin. A Short History of the Jewish People (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). In this syllabus, this book is designated as (RS) . Three copies are available on library reserves.

Food for Thought Bookstore

106 N. Pleasant St., Amherst

(413) 253-5432

2. Ben-Ur, Aviva. Electronic Course Page for "The Jewish People II." In this syllabus, the Electronic Course Page is designated as (EReserves)

Instructions for accessing Electronic Course Reserve readings:

1) www.library.umass.edu/

2) Choose 'Course Reserves' (8th link on the purple page)

3) Choose "Electronic Reserves"

4) Choose "Electronic Reserves and Reserves Pages"

5) Choose to search either by Department or by Instructor

6) Choose appropriate class

7) Choose "Accept"

8) Enter your password

You will need a password, which will be distributed on the first day of class. Please note that all letters in your password are lower-case. If you lose your password, you should get it from the professor--THE LIBRARY WILL NOT DISTRIBUTE PASSWORDS.

You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to read the PDF files. Acrobat Reader may be downloaded for free at:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

There is a "Troubleshooting" link on the electronic reserves home page. Students may wish to refer to this page if they encounter difficulties. There is a reporting form available on this page, as well as tips and contact information for support. For all other problems, email the Professor at: aben-ur@judnea.umass.edu.

Note: to rotate a pdf file on a PC, right click on the page itself, and then select rotate clockwise. To rotate a pdf file on a Mac, click on the pdf file. Then go to the Tools menu at the top of your computer and select Rotate Right. You may then save your changes so that the images are permanently rotated.

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS UNLESS YOU HAVE UNIMPEDED ACCESS TO THE WEB AND ABILITY TO USE ADOBE ACROBAT READER!

Calculation of Grades

Six quizzes 80%

Class engagement 20%

Note: points for any portion of the grade and/or the final grade may be deducted for class incivility. See "Code of Student Conduct" Handbook. (This rarely happens, as Judaic 102 students are generally wonderful.)

Class Schedule With Assigned Readings

Note: readings listed under a date are due on that date! NOTE: ALWAYS REFER TO THE MAIN PAGE OF THE CLASS WEBSITE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION.

No advanced readings required. Read this syllabus carefully to decide if this class is right for you. ENROLLING IN THIS COURSE MEANS YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR UNDERSTANDING AND COMPLETING COURSE REQUIREMENTS.

Various rabbinical authors. A page from the Talmud, tractate Sukkot [Tabernacle]. Since this is in Aramaic and Hebrew you obviously don't have to read it, but do be able to recognize and understand what it represents in general terms. (EReserves)

Norman A. Stillman, "The Koran on the Treatment of The People of the Book", etc., in Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1979), pp.149-151. (EReserves)

Chapter 4, "The Jews in the Islamic World: From the Rise of Islam to the End of the Middle Ages (632-1500)," p.71-last full paragraph of p.82. (RS)

Thursday, January 28 (13 Shevat): The "Golden Age" and Its "Golden Men": Jews in Muslim Spain

Note: Monday, February 1 is the last day to add courses or drop with no record.

Lynn Hunt, "The Cairo Geniza", in Lynn Hunt, et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001), pp.320-321. (EReserves)

"An appeal for the ransom of captives: The Jews of Alexandria to Ephraim ben Shemarya and the elders of the Palestinian community of Fostat," in Franz Kobler, ed., Letters of Jews Through the Ages: A Self-Portrait of the Jewish People , vol. 1 (New York: East and West Library, 1978 [1952]): 141-2. Click here for text.

"Donna Sarah's plea to her husband to return to his family," in Franz Kobler, ed., Letters of Jews Through the Ages: A Self-Portrait of the Jewish People , vol. 1 (New York: East and West Library, 1978 [1952]): 233-34. Click here for text.

"A family letter written in Hebrew by a Jewess: Lady Maliha to her brothers Abu-Said and Solomon," in Franz Kobler, ed., Letters of Jews Through the Ages: A Self-Portrait of the Jewish People , vol. 1 (New York: East and West Library, 1978 [1952]): 145-46. Click here for text.

Jacob R. Marcus, ed. "The Crusaders in Mayence" and "Rashi and Rashi's Grandson and the Crusaders," in Jacob R. Marcus, ed., The Jew in the Medieval World: A Source Book, 315-1791 (Cincinnati: The Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1938), pp.115-120; pp.301-302; 304-305. (EReserves)

David Raphael, ed. "The Edict of Expulsion (Spain);" Isaac Abravanel, "Introduction to the Former Prophets" and "Andrés Bernáldez, "How the Jews Were Ejected From Spain," in David Raphael, ed., The Expulsion 1492 Chronicles: An Anthology of Medieval Chronicles Relating to the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal (North Hollywood, California: Carmi House Press, 1992), pp.189-193; 51-54; top of p.61 and 69-76 (read in this order). (EReserves)

Various rabbinical authors. A page from the Talmud, tractate Sukkah [Tabernacle]. Important: this image was also assigned in the first week of class. Again, since this is in Aramaic and Hebrew you obviously don't have to read it, but do be able to recognize and understand what it represents in general terms. (EReserves)

Yosef Kaplan. "The Travels of Portuguese Jews From Amsterdam to the 'Lands of Idolatry' (1644-1724)," in Yosef Kaplan, ed., Jews and Conversos: Studies in Society and the Inquisition (Jerusalem: World Union of Jewish Studies and The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, 1985), pp.197-211. (EReserves)

William Hallo, et al. "A Handbook of Hebrew Rhetoric in the Setting of Renaissance Italy" and "The Burning of the Talmud in Italy," in William Hallo, et al., Heritage: Civilization and the Jews: Source Reader (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1984), pp.159-middle of p.163; pp.169-top of 174. (EReserves)

Martin Buber. "Introduction" (note: do not worry about "Introduction"--it's not on EReserves and not required reading, but the following IS required:) and "Israel Ben Eliezer, The Baal Shem Tov," in Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim: Early Masters (New York: Schocken, 1975 [1947]), pp.1-14 and pp.35-48. (EReserves)

Eighth and last day of Passover. Class is NOT cancelled. Observant students should prepare the reading below and obtain class notes from a reliable classmate.

"The Process of Political Emancipation in Western Europe, 1789-1871," in Paul R. Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, eds., The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980), pp.112-113; pp.118-126 and pp.128-136. (EReserves)

Bertha Pappenheim. "Excerpts from On the Condition of the Jewish population in Galicia," and "Impressions of a Voyage and Sisyphus-Arbeit," in Melinda Given Guttman, The Enigma of Anna O.: A Biography of Bertha Pappenheim (Wickford, R.I.: Moyer Bell, 2001), 153-168 and 193-213. (EReserves)

Tuesday, April 27 (13 Iyar): Lost and Found Jews?, or Ethnic Heritage Fantasy?:

Produced and directed by Gabriela Böhm; edited by Jonathan Brock and Gabriela Böhm. "The Longing: The Forgotten Jews of South America" (New York: Böhm Productions and Filmakers Library [distributor], 2007). 75 minutes. To be viewed in class. Please come on time for class and be prepared to stay for an extra 5 minutes at the end.

Aviva Ben-Ur. Review of Stanley M. Hordes, To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico , in American Jewish History 93:2 (2007): 264-68. Click here for text.

Note: Due to a schedule change, we are NOT viewing this film in class. It is NOT mandatory viewing, and the reading is NOT mandatory reading. Students NEED NOT stay an extra 5 minutes after class. For this day, we will resume the lecture on the Holocaust and move on to the founding of the State of Israel.

Students who DID NOT attend Professor Lichtenstein's lecture last week may earn 3 extra credit points by taking an in-class quiz on the film "The Longing." The very brief quiz will be given on the last day of class, Tuesday, May 4, right after Quiz #6. The film is available on AVReserves in the W.E.B. Dubois library.

Note: Final grades for Spring semester are due Tuesday, May 18 (5 Sivan)

Professor submits final grades no later than May 18 at noon. Important note: students should carefully review the calculation of their final grades. If you think an error has been made, email the professor. Remember: never throw away your quizzes--they are the only proof of your quiz grade.